"While it was in training at home I saw a good deal of the Rainbow
Division," he said "Then, one day, it was gone to France, where it
disappeared behind the curtain of military secrecy which must be drawn
unless we choose to sacrifice the lives of our men for the sake of
publicity. The enemy's elaborate intelligence system seeks at any cost
to learn the strength, the preparedness, and the character of our
troops. Our own intelligence service assures us that the knowledge of
our army in France which some assume to exist does not, in fact, exist.
"If we were to announce the identity of each unit that comes to France,
then we would fully inform the enemy of the number and nature of our
forces. Published details about any division are most useful to expert
military intelligence officers in determining the state of the
division's preparedness, and the probable assignment of the division to
any section.
"But now it is safe to mention certain divisions which were first to
arrive in France and have already been in the line. This includes the
Rainbow Division, famous because it is representative of all parts of
the United States. This division should find in its character an
inspiration to _esprit de corps_ and general excellence. It should be
conscious of its mission as a symbol of national unity.
"The men of Ohio I know as Ohioans, and I am proud that they have been
worthy of Ohio. A citizen of another State will find himself equally at
home in some other group, and the gauge of this State's pride will be
the discipline of that group of soldiers, its conduct as men, its
courage, and its skill in the trenches. You may learn more than war in
France. You may learn lessons from France, whose unity and courage have
been a bulwark against that sinister force whose character you are
learning in the trenches. The Frenchman is, first of all, a Frenchman,
which stimulates, rather than weakens, his pride in Brittany as a
Breton, in Lorraine as a Lorrainer, and his loyalty and affection for
his own town, or village, or home. In truth he fights for his family and
his home when he fights for France and civilization. Thus, you will
fight best and serve best by being first an American, with no diminution
of your loyalty to your State and your community.
"With us at home the development of a new national unity seems a vague
process compared to the concrete process you are undergoing. You are
uniting North, East, South, and West in action. We aim to support you
with all our resources, to make sure that you do not fight in vain."
The brigade of the veterans was reviewed on the last day of the camp
inspection.
Secretary Baker went by motor, with officers and aides, as far as the
foot of the hill from which he was to review the troops deploying in the
Marne valley. Twenty days of rain had made the hilltop inaccessible by
motor. As Secretary Baker started up one slope, General Pershing and his
aides ascended another, and the two men met at the top.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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